NDSU startup invited to Demo Day at Congress

08/31/2016
College of Engineering

Uniqarta, a startup company at NDSU, has been invited to Washington, D.C., to participate in University Startups Demo Day at Congress on Sept. 20, 2016. The National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer (NCET2) organized the event and selected participants who have been named the “Best University Startups 2016.”

Uniqarta was founded in 2013 and develops thin chip assembly technology for flexible electronics manufacturers. The company has licensed core technology from NDSU and has been the recipient of several National Science Foundation and NextFlex Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Institute grants. “We are pleased and honored to be selected for this event,” said Ronn Kliger, Uniqarta co-founder and CEO. “The research led by our founder Val Marinov at NDSU was instrumental in launching our company and shaping our vision.”

Marinov, who also is an NDSU professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, says the technology starts with NDSU. “Our innovative technology was born at NDSU as a collective effort of an amazing group of students, faculty and engineers. We hired some of them at Uniqarta and we are definitely looking to hire more NDSU graduates as we grow,” said Marinov. “We are very excited to be selected as one of the country’s best startups. This is a recognition not only for the company, but for all NDSU students and staff who were at one point or another involved in the development of our technology.”

According to Kelly Rusch, NDSU vice president for Research and Creative Activity, innovation is the bedrock of the American economy. She says research universities provide an environment where faculty and students can create, define and develop ideas into tangible outcomes that help drive the larger innovation ecosystem of the country.

“Faculty startups, such as Uniqarta, are an important outgrowth of the research and creative activity enterprise on university campuses,” Rusch said. “They provide avenues for moving technological developments to a larger research and development venue and eventual commercialization, while at the same time exposing students and other researchers to the innovation process through both formal and informal settings. NDSU applauds Uniqarta and Dr. Marinov for their efforts in commercializing NDSU-based research focused on flexible hybrid electronics.”

Universities create more than 800 startups each year around the country, and 200 companies were submitted and screened to find 36 companies that make up the "Best University Startups 2016". These companies are the most exciting early-stage companies presented by universities across the country.

"To lead the world in the 21st century, our nation must have a sustained commitment to education, scientific research, and startups," said Tony Stanco, NCET2 executive director, "and American universities are uniquely positioned to deliver on all three to ensure the U.S. continues to lead socially and economically in this century, as it did in the last."

The University Startups Demo Day is the university community's opportunity to show the nation how far it's come in its bold, new vision for the future of the university, and how that vision is central to national competitiveness and economic growth, peace and prosperity. The University Startups presenting at the Demo Day have individual stories to tell about the good work they are doing to create jobs, serve humanity and leave the world a better place for the next generation.

About UniqartaUniqarta is located in Fargo, North Dakota, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and develops ultra-thin chip assembly technology for flexible electronics manufacturers. Founded in 2013, the company has licensed core technology from North Dakota State University and has been the recipient of multiple National Science Foundation and NextFlex Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing grants.

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